Pingree, Young launch bipartisan food waste caucus

On April 30, Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and David Young, R-Iowa, launched a bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus to explore opportunities to reduce food waste.

The previous Friday was “Stop Food Waste Day,” an international day of action to address food waste. It is estimated that 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste. A recent USDA Agricultural Research Service study found that U.S. consumers waste almost 1 pound of food per person per day.

“Food waste is a staggering problem and a lost opportunity. It wastes resources, takes a toll on the environment, and costs families, farmers, and businesses billions of dollars each year. And it’s unthinkable that perfectly good food is going to waste when 50 million Americans don’t always know where their next meal will come from,” said Pingree. “I’m proud to launch this bipartisan caucus to identify commonsense solutions for preventing food waste and putting food to good use instead of pitching it into a landfill.”

“Many Iowans struggle to put food on the table while we also waste significant amounts of food each day,” said Young. "I’m proud to join Rep. Pingree to find commonsense solutions to reuse leftover or expired food and to find ways to reduce the amount of food needlessly dumped into landfills."

The bipartisan House Food Waste Caucus will look at ways to promote food waste reduction across the food supply chain; provide educational opportunities to congressional members and staff; support efforts to reduce food waste at federal agencies including USDA and EPA; and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to highlight food waste success stories.

Last Friday, Congresswoman Pingree hosted a food waste briefing on the Hill. Speakers from the American Biogas Council, Campbell Soup Company, Feeding America, Further with Food, and the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic highlighted different opportunities to support food waste reduction initiatives.